


Talk Too Much

by ParaNex1ble



Category: VenturianTale Characters (Web Series)
Genre: Blood Drinking, Blood and Gore, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Flashbacks, Graphic Violence, Like really slow, M/M, More tags to be added, Murder, Partial Mind Control, Partners in Crime, Past Character Death, Past Child Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychopathology & Sociopathy, Recovery, Serial Killers, Slow Burn, Swearing, everyone is a mess, jimmy and ghost are brothers, lots of blood in general, post-puppet arc, post-retirement arc, undead character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-10
Updated: 2019-06-18
Packaged: 2019-10-07 22:26:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17374379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ParaNex1ble/pseuds/ParaNex1ble
Summary: Jimmy Casket has been dead for 20 years, a murderer for 15, and a zombie for less than a month.When he was told he could be given a body, a real body, he’d scoffed and carried on with his own business. But when he found out that it wasn’t a joke, he wasn’t sure how to feel. He had been a ghost for so long he barely remembered what it felt like to be alive.He has to admit. He still doesn’t.//Planned to update weekly to bi-weekly. Open for feedback. Do not repost elsewhere.





	1. Encounters

Another night another murder. That’s what he always says.

Jimmy Casket has been dead for 20 years, a murderer for 15, and a zombie for less than a month.

When he was told he could be given a body, a real body, he’d scoffed and carried on with his own business. But when he found out that it wasn’t a joke, he wasn’t sure how to feel. He had been a ghost for so long he barely remembered what it felt like to be alive.

He has to admit. He still doesn’t.

Maybe that’s why he does this. Takes the lives of others. But why would he care for the reason? He enjoys what he does and that’s all that matters.

This is what he thought as he licked the blood off his fingers and stood over the crippled body of a middle-aged woman. Another poor individual in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Then something happened that Jimmy doesn’t usually plan for. Police sirens.

He didn’t recall this woman taking out her phone, and he’s always had a keen 6th sense for witnesses.

However, he didn’t have much time to figure out this mystery, as the answer turned the corner and smacked right into him.

“Bloody ‘ell- Watch where you're goin dipshit!!” The man struck a very odd resemblance to a certain someone. His tousled black hair and sharp jaw; If Jimmy didn’t know better he’d try to say this man was a carbon copy of Johnny’s partner. Not to mention the near identical accent.

It was then that the man’s eyes landed on the corpse, then darted to equally bloody knife in Jimmy’s hand, and he shrieked.

Jimmy scoffed and made a point of kicking at the deceased woman’s arm. “It’s just a dead body! What are you gonna do, call the cops?” He grinned with a sparkle in his eye that seemed to make the man fume.

“Oi! Don’t play smart with me! I’ve got enough problems to deal with an’ I don’t need you to be one of ‘em!” His voice was like gravel, and pitched an octave higher with his anger. Jimmy rolled his eyes and twirls the knife in his hand.

“Well excuse me for being rude. Maybe I should be more polite when my nightly stroll is interrupted by some man running from the damn police!” He waved his hands wildly to emphasize his words. The man looked appalled and gestured strongly towards the still growing pool of blood at Jimmy’s feet.

“NIGHTLY STROLL?!” He shouted. “YOU KILLED SOMEONE!!”

“Yeah?? That’s what I do! Doesn’t look like you’re all that innocent either!”

“Well at least I don’t-!” The argument was cut short by flashlight beams shining at the entrance of the alleyway. The man cursed and pushed Jimmy out of the way, running down and hopping up to climb the chain link fence at the other end. Jimmy looked away for a moment to find his own escape and when he looked back, the man was long gone.

He sighed in frustration and pocketed his knife, way to have a night of fun cut short. Jimmy dug his fingers into the wall and pulled himself up, bracing his feet on loose bricks. He scaled half the building before the police discovered the woman’s corpse.

\---

It was only a few days before he saw the man again, to be completely honest the memory had slipped Jimmy’s mind. He was on the prowl for another unfortunate victim when he ended up picking on the very one he didn’t expect to see again.

“What the fuck?!” The man lashed out, and managed to land a blow to Jimmy’s cheek while the killer was in shock.

“What was that for?” Jimmy sneered, holding his aching cheek.

“You’re bloody trying to kill me!!” The man glared, brushing angrily at his sleeves. Jimmy rolled his eyes and twirled his knife.

“Well I can't exactly let you go now!” He scowled.

“How about this then.” The man crossed his arms. “We'll make a deal, one crook to another, eh?” He smirked, and while Jimmy was no man of mercy, he could admit he was interested.

“You let me live, and I'll keep my mouth shut about your...personal business.” He drawled on the last words.

“Yeah? And you'd be even more quiet about it if you’re dead!” Jimmy lunged forward, only to have his blade meet concrete as the man barely dodged.

“And you don't even know who I am! People will notice if I'm gone and then you'll be in trouble!” Jimmy began to twitch in frustration.

“Gah! You talk too much, why don't you just let me shut you up!” He swung his knife again, only to miss once more and end up with the barrel of a pistol against his throat.

“Try that one more time and we'll both have a murder on our records.” The man growled through gritted teeth. Jimmy cursed. He was stubborn, yes, but he wasn't a complete idiot.

“Fine, fine!” He pushed the man's gun away and backed off. “Just keep your word that you won't tell anyone.”

The man nodded and put away the pistol. “Pleasure doing business with you, then.” He smirked before walking away as if the encounter had been nothing but an inconvenience.

Jimmy's eyes lingered on the man's retreating form longer than he'd like to admit, before shaking out of it and moving on to find new prey.

\---

Jimmy spent the next week pondering that encounter, wondering if he’d run into him again. He told himself he hoped he didn’t, but deep down he had developed a curiosity for the mysterious criminal.

Jimmy had been sloppy one night, didn’t quite account for a bystander hiding just out of sight. By the time he’d found and disposed of them there was a police officer stepping out of their car, demanding he drop his weapon. Jimmy did the only thing he could think to do: Turn on his heel and make a run for it.

He wasn't sure where he was going, only that it couldn't be here. He turned a few corners and spotted a second police car at the end of the road. He glanced back for a moment to check if the first was still on his tail and-

He blinked rapidly and just barely caught his balance. There in front of him was the man, recovering from the collision as well. Jimmy opened his mouth to say some sort of greeting only to be slammed against the brick wall of a building.

“I don't know who the hell you think you are, but you need to stay out of my bloody way.” The man growled. Jimmy felt a spark of anger in his chest, how was he to be blamed for this? He didn't even know this man was there, he was minding his own business!

Before he could retort, the man released his hold and gave him one more nasty glance before breaking into a sprint once more.

Jimmy's head pounded from the hard hit, he could barely stand as his vision faded in and out. He heard the cock of a pistol and a gruff voice say something, something, under arrest. 

Between his headache and lingering anger, Jimmy couldn't bother to put up a fight as he was roughly cuffed and forced into the backseat. He let himself black out before they reached the station.


	2. Domestic

“Well, mister I'm too good to get caught by the police, mind explaining why I had to bail you out at 6 in the morning?” Johnny Toast frowned at Jimmy, who was sulking in the passenger seat of his car as they drove home.

“It wasn't my fault!” He sneered glaring out the window. “That bastard whoever-the-fuck left me behind!”

Toast sighed. This man really was Ghost's brother. “It doesn't matter, just be careful, alright? You know Ghost will give you an earful for it.”

Jimmy groaned and dropped his head on the dashboard, only to wince as it reignited the ache from before. Toast couldn't help a laugh at Jimmy's childishness.

An earful he got indeed. The moment Jimmy walked through his brother's front door the man was rattling off like a paranoid mother. Jimmy let him go on until he was out of breath and out of words.

“Are you done?” Jimmy crossed his arms. Ghost took a deep breath before wheezing and falling forward to lean on Jimmy’s chest.

“You scare me too much.” Ghost mumbled. Jimmy hummed and reached up to rustle his younger brother's hair.

“Serves you right for all those years I spent stuck with you.” He smirked as Ghost laughed and pulled away.

“But really, are you alright?” He asked as the two moved to sit down on the living room couch.

“Yeah, I'm fine. Got a nasty bruise on the back of my head though, thanks to that prick.” Jimmy tsked and sprawled out over the cushions, watching Toast come in the room with a set of teacups.

“Do you happen to know his name?” Toast asked as he set the cups down. Ghost was hasty to pick up his and take a hearty sip.

“Nah, I've barely gotten a good look at him either with it being so dark.” Jimmy crossed his arms with a scowl.

“Ah, that's a shame. But maybe you'll still get a chance.” Toast sat down next to Ghost, who instinctively leaned against his partner. Jimmy snorted at the suggestion.

“I sure hope not, dude's an asshole.” He stuck out his tongue. Ghost laughed and shook his head.

“You never know, Jim-Jam. Life's full of surprises.” The hunter grinned and Jimmy glared in response.

“I told you to stop calling me that.”

“Sure thing, Jimbo.”

Ghost laughed heartily as his brother flipped him a rude gesture.

\---

After another half hour or so of mindless banter, the Johnnys had to get to work and left Jimmy to his own business. Business which would be washing the blood off of himself and passing out for the rest of the morning.

Jimmy wasn’t exactly used to taking showers yet, but after he got over the initial shock of being blasted with water he found the practice rather soothing. As always, he cranked the shower up to boiling hot and tossed his bloodstained clothing into the laundry bin. As he stepped under the water he sighed at the way it singed his skin.

Having a living body was strange, and he may never get used to all of it’s setbacks, but it was nice to remember what it felt like to have a mind all to his own. He could think freely without having his brother panic over voices in his head, have control all hours of the day, and never have to worry about how his actions would affect Ghostie.

At least...physically.

Jimmy scrubbed the dried blood off of his skin, giggling as it grew red with irritation. Once he had gotten most of it out, he shut off the tap and dried himself. His eyes lingered on his reflection in the mirror for a few moments.

His eyes were swallowed by dark circles that were pierced by his crimson irises. His skin was pale like a sheet save for the red patches which he had carelessly scrubbed raw. His hair was tangled and messy even when weighed down by the water.

It wasn’t a very friendly face.

Jimmy took that to be a good thing.

He stumbled into Ghost’s room, rummaging through his drawers until he found a plain gray t-shirt to put on along with a pair of black boxers. Feeling comfortable in the light clothing, Jimmy let himself fall onto the makeshift bed he had been made in the corner of his brothers room; Which was less of a bed and more of an extra mattress with a pillow and a blanket. Not that he cared much, his standards weren’t very high anyways. 

He stared up at the ceiling as the night of activity finally caught up to him and his eyes grew heavy. Just moments after rolling on his side and pulling the blanket over himself Jimmy fell into a dreamless sleep.


	3. Names

Jimmy hadn't gone out in a while, both because his brother forbid it until his head healed and because he was happy to avoid running into the mystery criminal again. Ghost had begun to refer to the man by that nickname after Jimmy admitted to knowing nothing but his voice.

But Jimmy couldn't just abstain, his work wasn't just a hobby. He ran his thumb over the dulling blade of his knife. It hummed at his touch, and he felt a wave of nausea as it pulsed with just as much murderous need as he had.

Jimmy glanced over to Ghost's bed, where his brother slept peacefully. If he were just quick, just one victim; Ghost would never need to know.

He opened the window and felt cool air pierce his skin. Without a second thought he swung his leg over the sill and slipped out of the room, shutting the window tightly behind him. Sliding down the roof, he landed on the pavement and dashed off into the night.

Desperate as he was, there was little regard to hold his chosen victim to any standard, and so Jimmy was fine with going after the first lonely pedestrian he found. A middle-aged brunette who clutched a small red purse and walked like she had a metal rod down her spine.

He fell into pace behind her, his footsteps masked by the clicking of her heels. Just as they passed an alleyway, he pushed her in just at the same moment as she was pulled by someone else.

Jimmy, with his knife at the womans throat and his other arm constricting her chest, stared forward.

“Oh you've GOT to be kidding me!” He growled at the mystery criminal, who held a pistol to the woman's head.

“You again?!” The man hissed, not dropping his aim. “What did I say about staying out of my way?”

“Well I could say the same to you couldn't I?” The woman between them whimpered and Jimmy pressed his knife harder against her neck, luckily shutting her up quick.

“Why don't you just buzz off and find someone else? This bitch is mine.” The criminal held firm.

“Yours huh? I'm pretty sure I saw her first!”

“I grabbed her first!”

“Like hell you did!!”

Jimmy stopped as he felt hot tears hit his hand, the woman was crying, loudly. The man seemed to notice this as well, and dropped his arm holding the pistol.

“Tch. She'll get us both caught if we don't shut her up. How about this? I let you kill her, and you let me take the goods.” He pointed at the red purse the woman still held. Jimmy frowned at first, hesitant to make a deal with this crook, but it wasn't as if he was after this woman's valuables anyways.

“Fine.” He tsked.

“But make it quick, alright? And try not to get any blood on me.”

Jimmy rolled his eyes and, in a swift movement, clasped his empty hand over the woman's mouth and plunged his blade into her stomach. Her screams were muffled until they faded to silence and she fell limp. Jimmy could feel the hot blood seeping from her wound and coating his hand, he almost shivered from the pleasure it brought him.

“There, done.” He said, dropping the lifeless body and stepping back. The man didn't respond, only stepped forward and pried the purse away, as well as removing a silver watch from her wrist. Jimmy watched with mild curiosity as he brought his knife up and began licking away the blood from it.

The man's head snapped up and stared at Jimmy. “What the hell are you doing?!”

“Uhh.. Cleaning my knife?” Jimmy responded slowly.

“That's disgusting.” The man grimaced as he slung the woman's purse over his shoulder.

“Oh, really?” Jimmy smirked and moved forward, attempting to wipe off the remaining blood onto the man's sweatshirt sleeve.

“Oi!! What did I say about the blood! Or are ya deaf as well as crazy?” Jimmy laughed at the man's reaction.

“Oh, I heard you crystal clear!” He grinned, going back to licking it clean instead. The man scoffed and began to walk away.

“You're insufferable.”

Jimmy froze, and spoke before he could think. “Wait!” He shouted, half expecting the man to ignore him, be instead he stopped and looked back.

“Uh..What's your name?” Jimmy asked, shuffling his feet awkwardly. The man frowned at him.

“Why do you want to know?”

“Can't a man be curious from time to time?”

The man snorted, and Jimmy swore he saw his eyes flash.

“Real bold coming from someone with as many secrets as he has bloodstains.”

Jimmy couldn't respond, and by the time he registered the comment fully, the man was already gone. He let out a shout of frustration and kicked at the woman's corpse.

His blood boiled on his whole walk back home, unable to get the man's final word out of his thoughts.

Now he needed to know more about this criminal. And he sure as hell wouldn't stop until he got the answer he wanted.

\---

Jimmy finally convinced Ghost to let him go out, but no longer every single night. Knowing how stubborn his brother was there was no use in arguing.

But tonight Jimmy wasn't interested in killing, odd but true. He was out to find that mystery criminal.

The first night he spent near the alleys they had met up in before. The second night he wandered through town. It wasn't until the third night that he finally stumbled upon the man once more.

He leapt from the rooftop and pushed the man up against the wall, holding his knife to his throat.

“What the hell?!” The man shrieked and struggled.

“What do you know!” Jimmy growled, pushing all his strength into holding him still.

“What?”

“My secrets!! What do you know about my secrets!”

The man paused and began to chuckle, only further angering the murderous spirit.

“You really think I wouldn't recognize you? Jimmy Casket, World Renowned Murderer. You're practically old news, mate.” The man grinned madly and Jimmy snarled.

“Stop avoiding the question!” He hissed through his teeth. The man only scoffed.

“Why would I even tell you anything, huh? I’m not afraid of you.” The man glared at Jimmy, not realizing his mistake.

It started as a giggle, then a laugh, before Jimmy was cackling with twisted glee. 

“Not afraid of me? Oh you're rich!” Jimmy slammed the criminal back, grinning wickedly at the sound of the air being knocked out of him.

“I'd be happy to fix that!!” He held up his knife, fully intent on bringing it down right onto the bastards head.

And then he was standing two feet away from the wall, his arm still held high but his fingers loosening around the blade's handle. The knife fell from his hand and hit the ground with a clatter.

Jimmy was frozen, he couldn't move his body- no, he couldn't move anything. It felt as if his very spirit within the vessel had been put in lockdown.

As he forced his eyes to focus, they met that of the man in front of him. His irises were almost glowing a rich emerald green, and there was a glint of light as blood dripped down from the scar on his head.

“What-..” Did you do… Jimmy could only croak out the first word. 

“Alright. I'm done playing your games. You stay the hell out of my way. And if I ever see your face again I won't be so merciful.” The glow disappeared and Jimmy gasped and sputtered as he collapsed, feeling all his senses return at once.

He heard footsteps retreating and quickly forced himself to his knees.

“What...is...your...name.” He rasped, unable to bring his eyes off the ground.

The man turned around and tsked pitifully at Jimmy.

“Do you really want to know so badly?”

Jimmy's throat felt barren and dry. “Yes…” He attempted to swallow, only to choke on air.

The man snorted, and Jimmy thought he wouldn't answer again.

“It's Gavin.”


	4. Tension

“Don’t you think you’re getting a little obsessed?” Ghost asked from the couch, watching his brother pace anxiously in front of him.

“Of course not! Whatever he did to me wasn’t normal! I need answers!” Jimmy hadn’t stopped thinking since he got back home, unable to stand still for more than half a second.

“You sound like Ghost when he was in highschool.” Toast laughed as he came in, leaning against the doorframe. “What did you say his name was?”

“He said it was Gavin.” Jimmy went to sit down, only to immediately get back up a moment later and resume his pacing.

“Johnny, isn’t that the name of your brother? The one who used to impersonate you and stuff?” Ghost hummed in thought.

“Yes, but I haven’t heard anything from or about him in years. I assumed he had either gotten caught for good or given up.” Toast tapped his foot as he tried to recall. “I’ll go give Jenny a call. Be back in a minute.” Ghost nodded to his partner as he left the room, before looking back at Jimmy.

At this point, Jimmy’s arms and legs ached from his endless fidgeting and he could barely manage to stay standing despite his anxiety. He resigned to sitting on the floor, slumped over and rapidly drumming his fingers against the polished wood.

Ghost sighed and stood up. “It seems like you could use a break from this guy.” He stood over his older brother, who frowned deeply.

“What I need is another night out.” Jimmy growled, already standing up and pulling knifey from his pocket. Only to for Ghost to grab him by the arm and hold him back.

“You can’t just solve all your problems by going out and killing people.” Ghost held tight on his brothers arm, fixing him with a stern glare. Jimmy sneered and tugged hard, but couldn’t quite break the grasp.

“Yeah? And why not?” The elder sibling tightened the grip on his knife, suppressing a wince as it burnt with disapproval.

“At some point you’re gonna get yourself hurt!”

“And why should I care?!” Jimmy finally pulled away, nearly cutting himself as his blade thrust forward with the burst of momentum. Ghost didn’t respond at first, only meeting meeting Jimmy’s eyes with a look of pain that sent him spiralling into the past. Jimmy had to grit his teeth to hide how his throat tightened.

“Because I care!” Ghost’s voice edged on a crack, Jimmy could see the way he masked his weakness and pain. But even his deafening brotherly instincts couldn’t overpower the now pounding that came from the blade in his hand. He couldn’t say no. So he said the next worst thing.

“Then I guess that makes only one of us.” He turned around without giving himself even a moment’s time to regret the words. Not a moment to let himself see how his brother’s face fell, eyes welled with tears and throat clogged with an empty shout.

Jimmy shut the front door behind him a little harder than he meant to, wincing at the loud slam. The moment he was exposed to the crisp fresh air the weight of what he said crashed down.

“Fuck.” He bit under his breath, pinching the bridge of his nose. How could he have let that get out of hand so quickly? How could he have said that? God, what kind of a brother was he?

His mind flickered back to what Toast had said before. He vaguely remembered the brit’s twin, but never had any direct encounters with him. Did he have any of those powers in the past? Did anyone even know about him besides Jimmy? What would he do if he saw Gavin again?

He let out a grunt of pain as his head began to ache. He really was starting to sound like Ghost with all these questions. He needed to clear his head, but now the idea of going out on a spree put a bad taste in Jimmy’s mouth. He really didn’t want to upset his brother more than he already had.

Instead, Jimmy glanced up above him, where he saw the tree he often climbed when entering and exiting Ghost’s window. Not only did the branches reach that far, but they towered above the very roof of the house as well. A smirk played at the dead boy’s lips as he bounded over to the tree’s trunk and pulled himself up onto it’s lowest branch.

Step by step he scaled the bark until he was able to hop off and land semi-gracefully on top of the roof. A shingle or two shifted under the sudden weight, but Jimmy kept his balance with practiced ease. He took careful steps over the brick tiles, freezing when they scraped together noisily, until he found a snug spot sat up against the chimney stack.

Now comfortable in his small alcove, Jimmy took a slow, deep breath of the cool night air. It was nearing fall, according to the cat-themed calendar Ghost had. Jimmy had to push away a flinch at the thought of what that season would bring. Rather, he forced himself to look up at the sky and count the stars.

Well...not really count. There were way too many for that. More just look at them, watch them sparkle. As a centerpiece of it all lay the moon, obscured into a faint crescent shape. Jimmy wondered how often Ghost checked the sky at night, watching as that shape slowly filled.

Maybe, if he really tried, he could count all of those stars.

1...2...3…

4…

5…

…

\---

There was a light weight on his stomach, accompanied by a consistent rhythm of shrill beeps. Jimmy grunted and winced as his eyes stung from the sudden brightness. Slowly, he regained his vision and saw, sitting right on his chest-

“BIRD!!!” He shrieked, scrambling wildly to get away from the small animal. The tiny, feathery creature was quickly jostled and fluttered off, squeaking loudly into the distance.

Once Jimmy managed to catch his breath, he noticed he was still laying on the roof, wedged against the chimney. The sun was high past dawn and somehow, he felt more well rested than usual.

As he peered over the edge of the roof, he noticed the P.I.E. van was missing, meaning Ghostie and his partner must be out. It made him wonder if they saw him sleeping up here.

Jimmy huffed and pulled himself up to his feet, stretching his stiff limbs towards the sky. He trotted across the rooftop and leaned down, grabbed ahold of the drainpipe on the side of the house and swinging down by it. As his feet his the grass he noticed a window left open with a sticky note taped to it.

'There are snacks on the kitchen counter, please don't wreck the house like last time. Hope you get home soon, Jimmy.  
J.T.’

The killer stood there for a moment, stunned by the kindly worded note. Toaster was worried about him, then? Strange, but the man always seemed to have a bleeding heart. Metaphorically of course...but that could change.

Jimmy climbed through the window, shutting it tight behind him. Like the note said, there was a plate with a fresh apple and chocolate muffin waiting for him on the counter. Passing through the living room, the memory of his argument with Ghost resurfaced.

He winced as he grabbed the muffin and took a crude bite out of it- he still wasn’t quite used to needing to eat. He definitely wasn’t the most...considerate in what he said to his brother. Knowing Ghost’s habit of overthinking it definitely didn’t sit well in the boy’s conscience.

He threw his head back with a groan, realizing that once the two Johnny’s got back he would most likely be expected to apologize. What would he even say? I’m sorry I don’t give a shit about my safety? That would at the very least be honest..

Jimmy paced around the house until he had finished the muffin and begrudgingly started on the apple, brainstorming and scrapping countless ways he could apologize to his brother. Nothing seemed quite right, either too blunt or too selfish.

By the time he seemed to figure something out, he heard the sound of keys clicking at the front door. Jimmy darted down to stand in front of the door, prepared to blurt out whatever he could think of.

Only to freeze and have his throat go dry as Johnny Toast stumbled in the door holding his half conscious partner, both tattered and wounded. The brit seemed shocked to see Jimmy there, but quickly walked over and pushed Ghost’s sleeping form into his brother’s arms.

“Take him upstairs and lay him down in bed. I’ll be up there with a first aid kit in just a minute.” Toast’s voice was strained, lacking it’s usual soft tone in favor of a much more stern one.

Jimmy opened his mouth to ask what happened, only for Toast to frown and tell him to do as he said, and he would explain later. He held his little brother’s body tightly as he carefully carried him up to his room, all the while forcing himself to ignore the guilt gnawing at his stomach.

After laying Ghost tenderly on his bed Jimmy sat down on the floor next to it, curling up with his knees to his chest and face buried in his arms. The image of his brother bloodied and unconscious was burned into his mind, dragging out memories he had spent so long trying to forget.

For now he focused on one thing. The moment Ghost wakes up, he’s going to say sorry no matter what it takes to say it right.


	5. A/N - Hiatus?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So this story's seemed dead for a few months. Let me explain.

For a while I lost motivation to continually post chapters for Talk Too Much due to a sudden increase in schoolwork and personal troubles. However, now I am officially on summer break and able to work full time on my projects! Today I will post all of the chapters missed and hopefully get back on somewhat of a schedule for posting new ones. To any who have stuck around: Thank you! Support means the world to me and I'm happy to share this content with others. Expect the chapters to be up sometime within the next hour or so!


	6. Favors

Jimmy sat anxiously by his brother’s bed as Toast came in with a damp towel. It had been a few hours since the two got home and Ghost was yet to wake up.

“From what I can tell it’s some sort of virus. Usually we have protection against these sorts of things but he might’ve forgotten it.” Toast frowned, placing the towel on Ghost’s forehead. “It’s nothing lethal, but it’ll impair him for a while.”

Jimmy shifted in his seat. “Is there any way to just...fix it?” He wrung his hands together, unable to meet eyes with the tall brit.

“Not any that we have access too.” Toast sighed. “There’s a few remedies sold by fellow paranormal investigators but they don’t come cheap.” Jimmy furrowed his brow as he thought.

“What exactly would help him right now?” He winced slightly as Toast gave him an annoyed glance, but ultimately answered him anyways.

“It was a red poltergeist, so tea made from terraroot would do the trick, but…” The man paused, before glaring at Jimmy. “You aren’t planning on trying to get any, are you? It’s an expensive material for a reason, collecting it is dangerous.” Jimmy shook his head, despite that exact plot having been forming in his head.

“No! I was just...curious.” He stammered awkwardly. Toast sighed and sat down on the floor beside him.

“I know you and Ghostie had a bit of an argument last night…” Jimmy snorted, a bit was an understatement. “You realize how much he cares about you, right?”

Jimmy nodded. “Of course I do, I mean- I lived in his head for twenty years, I should know him, right?” The lighthearted comment wasn’t lost on Toast, who smiled wearily.

“Of course, I wasn’t doubting that. It’s more just...he worries a lot about you, he’s afraid of losing you.”

Jimmy was silent for a moment, staring at his feet.

“It’s not like we grew up together. Not in the way he did with you… I’m surprised he hasn’t thrown me out on the street.” Jimmy laughed at himself, but his chest ached with the thoughts.

“Jimmy, you’re important to him. I know the both of you went through a lot, together and apart, but you’ve always been there for him, right?” Toast’s voice, as caring and understanding as always, made Jimmy’s stomach fill with guilt.

“I can’t...not protect him. He’s all I have, Toaster.” Jimmy felt pressure behind his eyes and bit back a curse. He still struggled to control his human emotions now that he had a body to feel them with.

“And he appreciates it, he knows how much you care about him and he wants to you feel cared for as well.” The statement made perfect sense, and Jimmy knew his brother would do just that, but it somehow still didn’t sit right in his mind. What made him deserving of any of that?

After Jimmy stayed silent for a few minutes, Toast sighed and stood to check Ghost’s temperature.

“Just be careful, alright? I not for yourself, then for him.”

Jimmy nodded, but his mind was trained on something else.

\---

The killer leaned against the wall of the alley, the same alley he was in the last time he ran into Gavin. He had no way of knowing the man would come here again, but he was relying on luck. 

And luck was on his side tonight, as the very criminal he was looking for passed by the entrance. Jimmy moved quickly and grabbed his shoulder, effectively scaring the shit out of him and earning himself a blow to the stomach.

“What- you again?! Didn’t I make it clear enough I don’t want to see you, or do you just have that much of a deathwish?” Gavin sneered at Jimmy, who wheezed in an attempt to get air back into his lungs.

“Listen...I need...your help…” Jimmy breathed heavily, holding a firm expression towards the man in front of him. Gavin looked shocked for a moment, and then started laughing.

“You? Jimmy Casket, are asking me for help? Well, why don’t I call the press for this once in a blue moon occasion?” Jimmy hissed at the man’s mocking tone.

“I’m not here to fuck around, okay? I need you to get something for me, it’s important.”

“Hm...alright, I’ll humor you.” Gavin frowned, crossing his arms and leaning on the wall across from Jimmy. “What’s in it for me?”

“What?”

“Oh please, do you expect me to do something for free? You’re more dense than I thought, Casket.” Gavin snickered, grinning further as Jimmy tensed in frustration.

“Well it’s not like I have much to give you. Surprisingly, murder doesn’t pay very well in this economy.” Jimmy matched Gavin with a smirk of his own.

“How about this then. You can owe me a favor.” Gavin stood and walked over to Jimmy. “I’ll do this for you, and later on I can come back and have you do something for me. Sound fair?”

Jimmy found nothing wrong with the idea, and put his hand out to shake. “It’s a deal.” Gavin grinned and shook the killers hand, who simply rolled his eyes.

“What’s the job then? Ancient jewelry, famous gemstones, old skull of a former ruler?” Gavin seemed oddly giddy over those items, Jimmy had a suspicion that he had stolen all three of those in the past.

“Tempting, but not exactly.” Jimmy leaned forward and lowered his voice…

\---

Not even two days later, Jimmy was standing under a streetlamp with his hood pulled up over his face and hands clasped in his pocket. He tapped his foot impatiently, clicking his tongue against his teeth.

During those days, Ghost’s condition had varied from better to worse like a metronome. Jimmy still hadn’t gotten a chance to properly apologize with his brother being either unconscious or too out of it to listen, and it was starting to eat him up inside. 

He wasn’t dense, he noticed the way Ghost stopped talking when he walked in a room, or flinched when he spoke too loudly or mentioned his violent needs. He could tell Ghost was still upset with him and he’ll be honest...it stung pretty badly. He only hoped that this little act of kindness would be enough to get back on better terms with his brother.

“Huh, I was half-expecting you not to show up. Guess I was wrong.” Gavin’s voice broke his thoughts, Jimmy looked up to see him fully illuminated. For the first time he could see his face in detail and the very first thing that ran through his mind was oh shit.

This man was damn near a spitting image of Johnny Toast. The only differences being his messier look and striking green eyes. Jimmy couldn’t help but notice how they sparkled in the light. His hair was unkempt and his dark hoodie had more than it’s fair share of scrapes and stains. Despite the significant difference in style, he was without a doubt Gavin Toast.

“Well, I’m full of surprises.” Jimmy smirked, which was surprisingly returned by Gavin’s own twitch of a smile. “Do you have what I asked for?”

“Yeah, it should do the trick.” Gavin pulled a small bag out of his pocket and dropped it into Jimmy’s outstretched hand. “Wasn’t easy to find, and even less so easy to snatch, but I’m a man of my word.” Gavin crossed his arms as he watched Jimmy inspect the contents of the bag.

“Why do you need it so bad, anyways? The thing was labelled as a healing agent, and last time I checked, you did kinda the opposite of heal.” Jimmy frowned at Gavin’s question as he pocketed the bag of terraroot.

“Why do you care?”

Gavin shrugged. “‘M curious, you don’t look like you need to use it on yourself.” Jimmy wasn’t sure what his judgement was, but for that moment he decided Gavin wouldn’t be one to go around spreading rumors.

“It’s for my brother, he got sick and I thought I could do something to help him.” The moment the word brother left his mouth, Gavin tensed up with a look of shock. “We got in a fight a while back and I haven’t gotten to apologize yet.”

Gavin was silent for a moment, and Jimmy thought he hadn’t heard him. “Why would you want to apologize? Surely you fought for a reason, aren’t ya still mad about it?” Jimmy blanked out for a moment, thinking over the words.

“Of course I’m still upset, but he’s my brother and I care about him. We’ve always been there for each other.” Jimmy paused, looking at Gavin’s expression. He knew he and his twin had a rough past, but Jimmy had heard Johnny talk about their relationship and assumed it was at least somewhat positive. Yet the man’s next response froze him.

“Well, that sure sounds sweet. Wish I knew how it felt.”

Jimmy couldn’t think of anything else to say, and watched as Gavin turned on his heel and walked away, leaving him alone under the streetlight.


	7. Brothers

Jimmy didn’t answer Toast’s questions on where he managed to get ahold of the ingredient, and once realizing this the brit sighed and accepted the package with a frown. Jimmy made haste in going right up to his brother’s room after that.

Ghost was tangled in his bedsheets with a cold towel over his head. The sight was almost too familiar for a moment, and Jimmy had to shake away the loving woman’s voice that echoed in his memory. Instead, he noticed how Ghost’s brow furrowed and his face contorted into one of pain.

Jimmy quickly made his way next to the bed, watching as his brother twitched and whimpered slightly. A nightmare.

He hadn’t done it in a while, but Ghost was suffering plenty with being sick already. The older brother reached out a pale hand and rested his finger and thumb on Ghost’s temple. For a brief moment, it was as if they were connected again. Then Ghost’s body relaxed and the link severed once more. Jimmy winced as the nightmare bounced around in his own mind for a moment before fading.

Toast came up with the fresh brew and shot Jimmy an odd look before sitting down next to Ghost. Jimmy turned to stare out the window as Toast woke up his partner and got him to drink the tea, though he smirked at how Ghost complained about the foul taste.

“wish I knew how it felt” Gavin’s words echoed in his thoughts. All signs pointed to the criminal being Johnny Toast’s own twin brother, and if those words were honest then clearly there was more trouble between them than they let on. The small sliver of sympathy Jimmy had twitched at the thought, knowing how much he cared for his brother it was hard to imagine Toaster didn’t have a similar bond. Something in the back of his mind wanted to know more about this, maybe he could help Gavin.

He shook away that idea and turned back towards Ghost, who was playing with the bandages on his arms now that his partner had left. Jimmy still needed to apologize, but even after all this time the words were just lost on him.

“You shouldn’t mess with those.” He blurted out, clearly startling the younger man as he tensed. Ghost looked up at his brother with a frown, but complied.

“You got that terraroot, didn’t you? Even though Johnny told you not to.” The words were sharp, and Jimmy knew Ghost was judging his recklessness again.

“Getting it meant making you feel better, I had to.” He stared at the floor, his hands clenched.

“But you didn’t have to. I would’ve recovered fine on my own.”

“You were still suffering, and now you’ll get better faster.”

“That was still risky and you could’ve gotten in a lot of trouble for it.”

“I know.”

“Then why did you do it?”

“Because it would help you.”

“And what about yourself?”

“I’m not as important!” Jimmy shouted without meaning to, his throat tightened and he realized he was arguing with Ghost all over again. The complete opposite of an apology. The younger brother looked away, going back to fidgeting. Jimmy knew the look, he messed up again.

“Look- Ghostie-” He froze up, words on the tip of his tongue. He took a deep breath and walked over to sit on the edge of his brother’s bed.

“I care about you so much more than I care about myself.. and- I don't- understand why you'd want better for me.” Ghost looked back up at those words, but Jimmy continued. “I mean- I'm barely a good person on my own, then there's everything I did to you over the past twenty damn years and I can't understand why you didn't just kick me to the curb.”

There it was, out in the open, hung in the air like toxic gas. It made Jimmy hesitant to breathe, like it would crawl back into his lungs and choke him further. 

“Jimmy...when someone lives in your head for that long you kinda get to know them. I know you did a lot wrong, and sometimes I did want to get rid of you. But that was before I...knew.” Ghost's voice was hoarse, almost inaudible, but Jimmy clung to every word. “You’ve been with me for so long I couldn't imagine living without you around. And- even more, you're my brother. If I had known that before I- I would've tried to help you so much sooner…” 

Jimmy didn’t say anything, but they both knew the words stuck hard. The killer looked down at his hands, and again was reminded that they were his hands and not someone else’s. Ghost sighed next to him, and the sound of rustling fabric told Jimmy that he had lay back down and likely wanted to sleep the rest of that sickness off.

The older brother stood and slowly left the room, but not without stealing a glance back at Ghost. Words slipped his tongue before he could think.

“Sleep well, Gregory.”

\---

Jimmy lay on the couch downstairs, staring at the ceiling as his thoughts clung to the sound of quiet ticking that came from the little analog clock on the wall. Another sleepless night, and it seemed he wasn’t alone. None other than Johnny Toast came around the corner, his usually calm and well-kept demeanor was broken by his tangled hair and wild eyes.

“Pretty late, Toaster. Couldn’t get your beauty sleep?” Jimmy teased half-heartedly. The brit only grunted in response and shot a pointed look at the nearby window. Jimmy followed his gesture and saw the bright moon, partially obscured by clouds; It wasn’t quite full, but close enough that it almost appeared so. Somehow, he had nearly forgot that his brothers partner was a werewolf.

“Oh, right. Guess there’s more to it than just going all fluffy once a month?” The killer tried to make friendly banter, but Toast didn’t seem to even hear it at first. Jimmy sighed and sat up, reaching to grab the man by his sleeve and tug him to sit next to him.

“I’m crazy but I’m not stupid, Toaster. I was technically there the whole time too.” He frowned, but it twitched back into a smirk when the brit snorted in response.

“I’m well aware. How did it go that one time? Right- we spent an entire night playing cat and mouse until Ghostie’s body passed out on you.” Toast had his eyes closed and still held a hand over his presumably aching head, but there was a clear smile on his face. “If I remember correctly, you were the mouse.”

“I was NOT!” Jimmy gawked.

“You most certainly were.”

“You can’t prove that!”

“Oh but I can~”

“How so?”

Toast snapped quickly at Jimmy, letting out a feral growl that sent the killer nearly scrambling off of the couch. Though the half-wolf quickly went from fierce to amused as he started chuckling heartily. Jimmy scowled as he tried to regain his composure.

“That’s just cheating.”

“Is it?”

“Yes!”

The brit was too busy laughing to continue arguing, but despite his embarrassment, Jimmy found himself giggling along.

“Ghostie was pretty upset with both of us that night..” Jimmy said once he managed to calm his laughter.

“I’m sure if we brought it up he still would be. You of all people should know he holds on to those kinds of things.” The two of them laughed again, only to be interrupted by Toast tensing and clutching over his arm.

“Hey- are you alright?” Jimmy said slowly, those words still somewhat foreign on his tongue. The dark-haired brit sucked in a painful sounding breath and nodded.

“Just- werewolf stuff. I'll be fine.” Jimmy nodded, though not quite trusting the assurance.

“Does Gavin know?” He blurted out after a moment of silence. Toast snapped up with a startled look in his eyes.

“What?!”

“Does Gavin know that you're a werewolf?” Jimmy then restated.

“No! Why would he?” Toast frowned deeply.

“Well, don't you talk to him?” Jimmy tilted his head in confusion.

“Barely.” The brit snorted with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. “I don't think I've talked to him outside of arguing in years.”

Jimmy bit his tongue and squinted down at the floor. It just didn't make any sense to him.

“But he's your brother, your twin brother. Why can't you get along?”

Toast ran a hand through his tattered locks and took a deep breath. His other hand, then clenched into a fist, slowly relaxed.

“Look- Jimmy...Me and Gavin didn't grow up the same way you and Ghost did. You learned to protect your brother. I was pit against mine like a rival.” There was something mournful in his tone, as if there was more he didn't let on to. But Jimmy knew better than to force unwanted memories.

Instead, he put the thought to rest and focused on the clock once more.

“You should go back to bed and try to sleep, it's late.” He murmured, not bothering to see Toast nod in response.

“You should too. Even if you don't technically need it, it's good for you.” Toast stood and began making his way out of the room.

“Er- Toaster?” Jimmy spoke suddenly. The brit looked back, but he realized he didn't know what he meant to say. “Take care of yourself, for Ghostie's sake.” He decided to say instead.

Toast smiled with a warm sweetness unique to himself. “You too.”


	8. Thrills

Jimmy was lucky to be awake when there was a tapping on Ghostie’s window. It had been a little under a week since he had reconciled with his brother and things were going a little back to normal. He hadn’t seen Gavin much since then, only passing glances whenever their paths crossed. Now, the psychopath dragged himself out from under his blanket and made his way to the window, where he found a crumpled note wedged under the sill.

After a glance to make sure his younger brother was still asleep, Jimmy opened the window briefly to grab the slip of paper before darting back to his makeshift bed. Unfolding the note, he found a message written in half-assed cursive with bright green ink and signed with what appeared as a cigarette burn.

‘I’ll be needing that favor now. There’s a warehouse on the west border of town that’ll need a two person job. Meet me at the park tomorrow before midnight.

G.’

Jimmy almost forgot about the favor he promised Gavin, but now he found himself questioning why he even agreed to that deal. Could the crook even be bothered to offer any sort of detail?

And yet something irked him. He didn’t exactly know what it was Gavin did for a living, what exactly made him so highly wanted by the law. Jimmy didn’t see any reason to pass a chance of figuring that out. Besides, he wouldn’t want to know what Gavin would do if he turned this down.

He looked over at where Ghost lay fast asleep. He certainly wouldn’t approve of Jimmy getting in even more trouble than he already risked regularly, but what exactly could go wrong? Gavin didn’t seem very careless, certainly it couldn’t be that hard to make it quick. Ghostie would never need to know.

He stuffed the note in his hoodie pocket and fell back onto his mattress, mind made up fully. He’d join Gavin on this little job of his, and afterwards he’d never have to bother with any of it again.

\---

Jimmy found Gavin right where he’d promised to be. Standing on the edge of the local park with a cigarette between his fingers, blowing smoke into the cold air. He made his footsteps silent as he approached the man, but yet he seemed to notice Jimmy’s presence regardless and look up to greet him.

“Not so much of a coward as I thought you’d be.” Gavin snorted before taking another drag of his cigarette. Jimmy growled under his breath and crossed his arms.

“Bold coming from a guy who almost never shows his face.” He bit back.

“Ain’t cowardly if it’s part of the job, Casket.” Something in his stomach twinged at the use of his last name, but he kept his face cold.

“What kind of job do you need me for, anyways? Don’t have any lackeys you can pin it on?” Gavin seemed to appreciate the joke, as he laughed darkly under his breath.

“Nah, none with your kind of expertise.” There was a strain on the word expertise that made it sound like he was mocking Jimmy.

“Oh? Do go on.”

“Well, it’s not exactly abandoned. The warehouse has a few more guards than your average convenience store or walmart.” Now this got the killers attention.

“You want me to take out the guards.”

“Bingo.”

He ran the thought through his mind for a moment. His field was in helpless pedestrians and unsuspecting civilians; Not exactly armed guards. Yet the idea of testing his skills with such a task made him giddy. Jimmy’s precious Knifey pulsed happily in his pocket, and he found no reason to say no.

“Alright then, I’m in.” Jimmy grinned, a gesture mirrored by the thief beside him. Gavin smirked and blew one last puff of smoke before dropping his cigarette and stomping it out with his heel.

“Good. Follow me, I’ll fill you in on the way there.”

It wasn’t the most scenic walk, mostly riddled with detours to stay out of sight. According to Gavin, the warehouse was guarded on all entrances, so they’d be breaking in through the vents. Gavin would lead the way, and once they got to the storage room, Jimmy would sneak in and take out any guards there. They’d leave the way they came. Simple enough.

By the time Gavin had gotten sick of Jimmy’s endless questions, the warehouse was in sight. As he was told, there was a pair of guards by every visible entrance. The heavy security made Jimmy wonder again just what they were trying to protect. Gavin turned to the killer and silently gestured for him to follow.

The pair sprinted across the grass, reaching the west wall of the building and narrowly avoiding a patrolers flashlight in the process. Gavin leapt up onto a drainage pipe on the side of the building and nodded for Jimmy to follow suite. His long limbs and light weight made climbing it quite a breeze.

As Jimmy reached the roof, he noticed Gavin struggling with the opening to the air ducts, it being seemingly frozen shut in a few spots. Jimmy frowned at the sight for a moment before taking out his knife and holding it against the edge of the grate. With a bit of effort, the blade slipped under the crack and he was able to pry open the vent. Pride swelled in his chest as Gavin grinned with a quiet “wow” whispered under his breath.

Jimmy followed the thief through the vents, and as time passed he grew more impatient. He could very near smell the thick blood that would spill from the guard’s veins once he struck, the thought excited him to no end.

When Gavin finally stopped over a vent opening below them, he wedged the grate open and kicked it away. Jimmy knew his cue and slipped out, landing on one of the long hanging lights.

Below him, the room was an open square maybe 30 ft corner to corner. There were a total of 5 guards, two by a doorway, one pacing a suspended walkway, and two more patrolling the main area. Jimmy didn’t need much time to plan before he leapt from one light to the next towards the lone guard.

As he dropped onto the walkway the guard was facing away from him, pacing only a few steps behind him, Jimmy waited until the very moment he turned around and noticed him before plunging his knife into the man's side. There was clear panic in his eyes as the killer quickly kicked him down to the floor. The guard could be seen scrambling for his radio, but before he could get a word out there was a foot on his stomach and a knife in his throat. Jimmy watched the life drain from the guard’s wide eyes in glee.

Now it got tricky. Below him, one of the patrolling guards heard the noise and directed the other to go check it out. Jimmy had to think fast as the next guard ascended the stairs towards him, deciding on a swift stab to the stomach and a kick back down the stairs. That definitely alerted the rest of the room.

Luckily, he wasn’t alone. As Jimmy rushed for the second patrolling guard, Gavin dropped down by his side and aimed his pistol for the two by the door. Within seconds the body count went from two to five and the room was empty save for the pair of criminals.

“Nice work.” Gavin spun the pistol around his finger once before slipping it back in his coat pocket. Jimmy grinned to himself as his spirit pulsed happily in time with his blade’s. Gavin move over to one of the many crates in the room, one labelled in bold font with the words HIGH PRIORITY. Jimmy watched as the brit pried off the top of the crate and reached in, pulling out an object or two that Jimmy couldn’t see from his angle.

Just as Gavin was pocketing the loot, the room turned red and filled with shrieking alarms. Gavin swore loudly and sprinted past Jimmy, grabbing onto his arm and dragging him along.

Through the door they entered a second storage room now filling with guards. As Gavin took out his pistol, Jimmy lunged forward and sliced through the chest of one guard, spilling blood over the floor as he fell backwards.

Two quick shots rang out, followed by a clang as a steel ladder came loose and slid down. Jimmy followed Gavin’s shout and climbed up the ladder behind him, stepping onto the walkway above it and sprinting across. 

At the end of the walkway there was a short window close to the ceiling, Jimmy watched as Gavin quickly slid and kicked against the glass, cracking it deeply. With a couple of hard hits, the window shattered and made their opening for escape.

The moment his feet hit the ground he was off running, following Gavin over the messy grass towards a line of trees in the distance. Gunshots followed them, embedding their bullets into the ground beneath his feet, but not one grazed his skin.

His heart pounded in his chest, his head was flooded with dope and adrenaline, the blood all over his hands and clothes felt like sweet honey. Jimmy felt absolutely amazing.

He couldn’t help himself as he let out a shrill laugh before diving into the bushes, out of sight.

\---

The moment they disappeared into the thick forest, Jimmy collapsed on his knees and began cackling.

“Well...if you told me it was going to be THAT exciting, I would’ve come along way sooner!” He grinned wickedly. Gavin shushed him, but smiled with similar mirth.

“More exciting than alleyway murders?” The thief teased as he picked shards of glass off of his clothes.

“By far!! I haven’t felt this refreshed in years!” Jimmy spoke his mind, and the thought was met with Gavin’s soft chuckle.

“Well maybe you should come along more often. From the looks of it...we’d make a good team.” The words lingered on Jimmy’s mind for a few moments. Partnering up with one of his brother’s own enemies? Not exactly something to write home about.

But what other chances would he get on his own? The thrill he had just felt was far too addictive to turn down such an offer. Jimmy grinned and stood to his feet, bringing up a blood-soaked hand and licking the sweet crimson syrup from his fingers.

“How could I possibly say no?”


	9. Limbo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of Act 2! Things get a lot more fast paced now.

Jimmy Casket, age whatever, has been Gavin’s partner in crime for nearly two months. The work has been just that, work, get a request from Gavin to help him and get his thrill fix on it. They never really speak outside of that. But the past few days he’s felt different. Almost as if the heists alone don’t satisfy him.

The time is 7am on a Saturday, Ghost and Toast are most likely enjoying themselves, sleeping in all cuddled up like a pair of sloths. The undead killer sat in their living room, sitting on the floor in front of the coffee table. His eyes were glued to the TV in front of him, particularly playing a local news channel.

_“Another break-in has occurred in our town. Late last night, the infamous criminal recently dubbed ‘Noir’ struck again,’- Jimmy smirked pridefully to himself - “robbing a small bank for an estimated total of $2,300 in change. Security cameras seem to have picked up on a second figure accompanying the robbery, though it is currently unknown if this individual is linked directly to the criminal.”_

Jimmy chuckled, it was no wonder they didn’t notice him by Gavin’s side. He didn’t exactly let any witnesses get away. Not even his own brother knew of the little alliance he had, for all he knew Jimmy had given up on thinking about Gavin. But oh was he dead wrong.

“‘Morning” Speak of the devil. Ghostie sauntered over and flopped down on the sofa, sinking into the cushions. Jimmy greeted him, though didn’t look away from the broadcast on the screen.

“‘Nother robbery huh? Seems like those’ve been happening more and more lately.” Jimmy looked up at Ghostie, who was watching with far less interest.

“Yeah, funny isn’t it?” Ghost frowned at Jimmy’s suspicious comment, but made no question of it.

“Been meaning to ask, when did you get so into this morning news anyways? I thought you didn’t give two shits about it.” Jimmy laughed in response, then shrugged with a smug grin.

“I didn’t think about it at first, I guess. But a lot of interesting stuff happens all the time!” The killer giggled to himself. “Did you know they started advertising recruitment for the police force? So many officers have been injured or killed lately.” He had to suppress a wicked grin, such a perfectly crafted lie.

Ghostie gave him a look, one of those deadpan looks that he often gave to Spooker or Colon on a near daily basis. Jimmy chose to just ignore it, which proved easy as Toast walked in with a mug of coffee for his partner. He watched silently as the brit greeted Ghost with a peck on the lips and a loving smile. The sight made something in Jimmy’s gut twist and he forced himself to look away.

Something about the affectionate gestures had begun to bother him as of late. Despite it never irking him before, Jimmy now found himself often staring at those two, almost like…

It wasn’t envy. Not at all. He had no reason to envy them! Right?

Right.

As the newscaster moved on to other, much less interesting topics, Jimmy stood up and left the room to go upstairs. In the room that was now entirely his- Ghostie had taken up sleeping in his partners bed more often than his own- Jimmy collapsed over on his bed. As he lay in silence, memories from the night before resurfaced.

_“Are you absolutely sure you don’t want any cut of this? It’s no convenience store scale profit.”_

_“Why would I? It’s not like I have anything to spend it on.” Jimmy shrugged, watching as Gavin counted up the fruits of their raid._

_“Well I dunno, maybe you’d like to treat yourself sometime. You’ve gotta have other hobbies than killin, right?”_

_Jimmy laughed, twirling Knifey in his hand. “Not much, actually.”_

_Gavin frowned at the response, before shuffling the cash in his hand and handing a hundred-dollar bill to Jimmy, who stared at it for a moment._

_“Take it.”_

_“What?”_

_“Take it, get yourself something nice, I don’t care.”_

_“Why?”_

_“Uh, cause you should do more with your life? C’mon I don’t just give out offers like this every day.” Gavin wasn’t backing down, and so Jimmy hesitantly took the bill and stuffed it in his pocket._

_“Not sure what I’ll even spend this on, but thanks, I guess.”_

_“Eh, you never know. Hey maybe I’ll take you out somewhere sometime, I know a few places around town where people like us won’t stand out.”_

_“Oh? I might just take you up on that offer.”_

_“Good, cause-” Gavin snorted almost nervously. “I’m not the greatest at generosity, you know.”_

_The two of them laughed before exchanging goodbyes for the night. With Gavin promising a note on their next job soon, as per usual. But this time there was something deeper to it, lighthearted and friendly. It gave Jimmy a feeling almost...warm; Happy._

_He didn’t think too much on it._

Could he call Gavin a friend? They had barely reconciled on those first few meetings, and as far as Jimmy knew friends don’t usually meet by trying to kill each other. But then again, Jimmy wasn’t very “usual” at all.

Maybe he would ask, but what would Gavin say? Did he think about their relationship at all in the way Jimmy did? What if asking him ruined his chances of them really being friends at all?

...Why did he care so much?

\---

 

Only a few days later they were back out on the streets. However, this time, despite Gavin’s note claiming another job they were simply spending the night on a casual walk.

_“You seem like you could use a break, yknow?”_ Gavin had said when Jimmy questioned him. And it wasn’t logic he could argue with.

Now they walked down the sidewalk in partial, comfortable silence. There was almost no one else out tonight, unsurprising considering how cold it was supposed to be.

“I've been meaning to ask, how's your brother been?” Gavin asked out of nowhere, catching Jimmy momentarily off guard.

“He's alright.” He shrugged with a smile. “He and Toaster have seemed pretty happy together.”

“Huh.” Gavin was silent for a moment. “How is, uh...Toaster, anyways?” Jimmy raised an eyebrow at the fellow criminal. They had already acknowledged that Jimmy knew who Gavin was, it was no secret to either.

“You're worried about him.” Jimmy frowned.

“Wh- no! I mean...why would I be?” Gavin attempted to laugh it off, but it fell dull.

“I can't answer that, Gavin. But if you really want to know, he's been managing, to say the least.” Jimmy didn't say anything else, neither did Gavin. They both knew it wasn't a topic worth digging up.

It happened a lot, one of them would nod towards the other's past, but make no notion to talk about it directly. Maybe it wasn't the healthiest, but it worked. Jimmy sure didn't mind it that way.

That mutual understanding they had brought the question back to his mind. Were he and Gavin friends?

He could ask, and get an answer just that easy. But even when he opened his mouth to speak, the question died on his tongue. He just couldn't seem to push away some sort of anxiety.

Instead, he shut his mouth and continued walking by Gavin's side, exchanging small talk and pointless banter until their legs ached from walking and they agreed to turn in for the night.

As Jimmy snuck into the window of his room, waving to Gavin before the brit walked off to wherever his own home was, something settled on his mind.

Whatever he had with Gavin wasn't acquaintanceship. He realized that Gavin had brought something new into his life, broken the pattern of hating and killing he had known for too long.

He couldn't exactly say why. But Jimmy didn't want to lose Gavin… Ever.


	10. Icebreaker

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SERIOUS WARNING!!  
> This chapter has graphic death flashbacks and descriptions of PTSD attacks. PLEASE skip this chapter if you are prone to flashbacks or sensitive to graphic injury and death.

Nothing could prepare him for that night, for the events that would wait for him. There was nothing to warn him, nothing to tell him turn back, it's not safe here.

Now Jimmy Casket found himself stood frozen in the middle of an alleyway, a drunkard across from him with a pistol pointed at his stomach. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't move, he couldn't see.

Jimmy was in that hallway, deafening alarms on his ears as he trembled under the weight of his frail body. The security guard pointed his weapon with shaking hands, and the moment Jimmy took another step forward, fired.

Once. Twice. Three times. Four. Fi-

_Bang._

The drunkard collapsed to the ground, a bullet lodged in his head. Jimmy wheezed and sputtered as he tried to get air he didn't need into lungs he didn't technically own. The cold air stung his throat and froze his blood, blood. Blood trickling down his chest from bullet wounds in his stomach, lead in his flesh, cold and unforgiving, his body went limp and his vision would fade and-

“Jimmy!! Oi, snap out of it!!” The words came as quickly as they faded again.

His hands gripped over the fabric over his stomach, still intact and unpunctured. He was fine- he almost wasn't. No- he wasn't fine the memory was real he was dead dead dead.

“Casket!! Dammit listen to me!!” The darkness finally fled from his vision and he could see again. There was no sterile hospital tile, no flickering lights, no alarms, no bullets.

There was only Gavin, standing above him (when did he lay on the ground?) with his pistol clutched tightly in one hand and the other gripping the fabric of Jimmy's shirt.

“The hell is wrong with you? You practically went dead on me there!” Dead dead dead-

“I'm sorry.” Jimmy whimpered, and realized there were tears on his cheeks. How long had he been-

“Shit, are you- are you crying?” Gavin knelt down in front of him, his expression melting of aggression and into concern. Jimmy covered his face, but it couldn't quite muffle the choked sob that escaped his throat.

“Alright- shit.. hey, look at me.” Gavin pocketed his pistol and put a hand on Jimmy's shoulder. “You're safe, alright? The bastard's dead. Ain't gonna hurt you.”

Jimmy couldn't respond, not even nod with his body so tense. Gavin sighed and pulled the killer's hands away from his face.

“Listen, Casket. I need to know if you need help. Yes or no. Don't lie to me.” Jimmy stayed silent, but then swallowed his pride and nodded his head stiffly.

“Alright, let's get you out of here then.” Gavin wrapped his arms under Jimmy's shoulders and lifted him to his feet. The killer stumbled for a moment, then let himself lean on Gavin as they walked.

The trek was a silent blur, and soon they were at the front door of an unfamiliar house. Once the door was unlocked, the Gavin brought Jimmy inside and over to lay on a tattered sofa.

“I'm gonna get you some water, okay? Just stay there.” Gavin said before standing and leaving the small living room. 

Jimmy curled up in the corner of the couch, trying to bury himself in the cushions where no one would find him. By the time Gavin came back, he had burrowed between the back cushions and arm of the seat.

When he noticed Gavin had come back, he slowly uncurled and took the water he was offered. He didn't even realize how dry his throat had become. Gavin gently rubbed his back as Jimmy choked on a few stray sobs that wrestled out of his lungs.

“So, you wanna talk about what happened back there?” It wasn't a request, just a question. Jimmy shook his head rapidly, even thinking about the event got his heart racing again.

“Alright, that’s fine. You might wanna stay here tonight, I don't want you getting in any more trouble going home..” Jimmy bit his lip at the offer. Ghostie would get anxious if he found him missing, but Gavin had a point. He didn't trust himself not to freak out again.

“A-are you sure?” Jimmy asked anyways, his voice raspy and quiet. Gavin nodded softly. There was concern on his face that looked like it should be foreign, yet seemed so fitting on his features.

“Yknow, Jimmy…” Gavin started, then paused. “You can uh- you can talk to me, if you need to. Clearly you've got more going on in that head than I thought.” Gavin ran a hand through his hair. Jimmy, for just a moment, wondered what it felt like.

The words sunk in, as with the recognition that Gavin cared about him. For some strange reason he did. The criminal could've left Jimmy there, broken and defenseless, to die. It maybe even would've been in his best interest to. And yet…

“Gavin.” Jimmy spoke up, getting a hum of question from the brit next to him. “Are we...friends?” The question was finally out there, no way to take it back.

“What do you mean?” Jimmy suddenly wanted to smack himself.

“Well- do you think I could call you my friend? I mean- I know we don't really act like it but-”

“Hey.” Gavin cut the killer's rambles off. “You know neither of us are very normal, so there's no point in making those comparisons.” Gavin smirked lightheartedly.

“Yeah, that's true.”

“Exactly. So- if you want to call me your friend then uh- I guess that's fine.” He stammered at the end, as if the topic wasn't something he was used to.

“Well...do you think of me as your friend?” Jimmy asked. Gavin was silent in thought for a moment before inhaling slowly.

“Yeah, I think so. Definitely the closest to a friend I've had in awhile, at least.” Gavin snorted to himself, and Jimmy laughed along.

“So, we're friends then.” Jimmy tested the phrase on his tongue.

“Yeah, friends.” Gavin smiled, genuine for once.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, Jimmy occasionally sniffling as his eyes refused to stop tearing up.

“Are you feeling better?” Gavin finally asked, now Jimmy was able to answer with a nod.

“I'll be fine…I'm really sorry you had to see that.” He bit his lip and winced.

“Oi! Don't talk like that, it's not something you can really control all that well, is it?”

“No but-”

“Then don't apologize for it. I don't care either way, really. I'm just glad you're doing alright.” Gavin put a hand on his friend's shoulder, who laughed weakly and leaned into the touch.

Soon enough, it was late enough that Gavin decided he would go to sleep. He brought an extra blanket for Jimmy to crash on his couch and asked if the killer needed anything else.

“I'm good, you've done plenty already.” Jimmy said from his spot curled up in the thin, yet soft blanket.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say. Just come bother if you change your mind.” Gavin smirked before leaving the room to go to his own.

Jimmy lay in silence save for the low buzzing of the heater nearby. Friends. Gavin was his friend. He smiled to himself at the thought.

Friends could work.


End file.
